Assam’s river dolphins are in distress, but who’s to blame?

Guwahati: Assam’s Kulshi river, one of the few remaining habitats of the endangered Ganges river dolphins, is under threat. As if illegal and unscientific sand mining on the river bed was not enough, the construction of a boundary wall at the integrated consumer goods manufacturing and logistics facility of ITC Ltd located at Bortejpur in Assam’s Kamrup (rural) district is leaving the aquatic mammals gasping for breath, quite literally.

From about 40 in 2016 — as per reports (as no official study as been conducted in recent times) — the number of river dolphins has come down drastically, with some local residents saying they hardly get to see any in the area now.